The elder scrolls V: Skyrim, Tale of Maeldred
by Dominic Trungove
Summary: A story of how The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim took place from MY point of view. I do not own any of the elder scrolls games, and if I did, I wouldn't exactly be writing a fan fiction about it, as it wouldn't be called a "fan" fiction.
1. Chapter 1

Maeldred was a nord who was born relatively weak and frail. When his father had tried to teach him how to use a greatsword, Maeldred had shrugged off the efforts to make him a warrior and instead asked for two short swords. His father had flatly refused, but when Maeldred almost cut his foot off after yet another attempt at wielding the unruly blade, his father had finally given in. And thus, Maeldred began to train in the arts of unseen movement, sharp senses and two blades. Eventually, he decided to try out the bow. Once he had mastered it's use and that of the dagger, he showed his father his skills. His father however was livid at how his eldest son, his pride, had turned to sneaking around and slitting throats in the night for a living, banished him from their town, and so Maeldred decided to flee Skyrim. He was furious when he had been ambushed by Imperial soldiers once he had spotted some Stormcloaks. He was doubly furious when he realised he had failed to spot them or elude them. Then one had hit his head with the hilt of their sword.

Maeldred groaned, and opened his eyes. He saw he was on a prison cart, and sitting across from him was a blonde, bearded stormcloak. "So, you're finally awake." Maeldred tried to say that he wished he wasn't, but the words could not leave his mouth. His head was hurting. When he spoke, it came out as a dry, unintelligible rasp. "You were trying to cross the border, weren't you? Walked straight into that Imperial ambush, same as us, and that thief over there." Maeldred nodded and then looked to the side to see who the thief was. He saw a black haired, clean shaven man in rags looking at him, as well as a man with robes and a gag on. "Damn you Stormcloaks. Skyrim was fine until you came along. Empire was nice and lazy. If they hadn't been looking for you, I could have stolen that horse and been half way to Hammerfell." He said. Then the man looked at Maeldred. "You and I, we shouldn't be here. It's these Stormcloaks these Imperials want." The blonde swiftly replied "We're all brothers and sisters in binds now, thief." Suddenly, the Imperial who was driving the cart said "Shut up back there!" Maeldred, who seemed to have recovered his voice, replied "You shut up." The Imperial chose not to reply. The black head then looked over to the man with a gag and said "What's wrong with him, huh?" The blonde then quickly said "Watch your tongue! You're speaking to Ulfric Stormcloak, the TRUE high king!" "Ulfric? The jarl of Windhelm? You're the leader of the rebellion." The black head said. He then added with a note of panic in his voice: "But if they captured you... Oh gods, where are they taking us?" The blonde then replied: "I don't know where they're taking us... But Sovngarde awaits." "No, this can't be happening... This isn't happening!" Maeldred wanted to tell the black head to shut up, but he had wasted his energy on the Imperial with his smart-ass remark. He was conserving his strength, ready for an escape attempt. Then the blonde asked "Hey, what village are you from, horse thief?" "Why do you care?" "A nords last thoughts should be of home." The thief then replied shakily: "Rorikstead. I'm from Rorikstead." Then, suddenly, an Imperial soldier on a wall of a town they had just arrived at yelled out "General Tullius, sir! The headsman is waiting!" Maeldred would have been horrified at that, but he was even more horrified at something else. This was Helgen. His home town.

General Tullius, the Imperials Military Governor of Skyrim replied: "Good. Let's get this over with." Suddenly, the thief said frantically: "Shor, Mara, Sibella, Kynereth, Akatosh! Divines, please help me!" Maeldred was too shocked at arriving at his home to tell the thief to shut his miserable mouth. The cart passed General Tullius, who was on horseback, discussing matters with one of the Thalmor. "Look at him, General Tullius, the 'military governor.' And it looks like the Thalmor are with him. Damn elves. I bet they had something to do with this." After waiting a few seconds, the blonde said "This is Helgen. I used to be sweet on a girl from here. I wonder if Vilod is still making that mead with juniper berries mixed in." "Vilod is. This is my home town, and I left just last week. Tell me, what was your name?" Maeldred said. He had recovered almost all of his strength. "My name is Ralof." The blonde said. "Funny. When I was a boy, Imperial walls and towers used to make me feel so safe..." Ralof said. "Well, times have changed, my blonde friend." Maeldred said, trying to loosen the tension. Ralof glared at him for a couple seconds, before a child's voice broke the silence. "Who are they, daddy? Where are they going?" "Hamming..." Maeldred said, remembering how annoying the kid could be. "That piece of crap..." he added. Hamming's father then replied: "You need to go inside, little cub." "Why? I want to watch the soldiers!" "Inside the house. Now." "Yes, papa." The soldier who was driving the cart yelled out "Whoah!" as he reined in his horse. The carts started to stop. An Imperial captain barked out orders. "GET THE PRISONERS OUT OF THE CART! MOVE IT!" she roared. "Why are we stopping?" the thief asked. "Why do you think?" Ralof asked. "End of the line." Then he turned to Maeldred. "Let's go. Shouldn't keep the gods waiting for us." Everyone stood up. The thief yelled out desperately: "NO! WAIT! WE'RE NOT REBELS!" Ralof sighed and then said "Face your death with some courage, thief." "You've got to tell them! We weren't with you! This is a mistake!" The captain, who was standing next to a tall nord who was holding a list and clad in Imperial light armour yelled out: "Step towards the block when we call your name. ONE AT A TIME!" Ralof sighed again. "Empire loves their damn lists." The nord called out: "Ulfric Stormcloak, jarl of Windhelm." Ulfric walked past and towards the block, standing with many others around it. "It's been an honour, jarl Ulfric..." Ralof said. The man then called out: "Ralof of Riverwood." Ralof stepped forward and then to the block. "Lokir of Rorikstead." The thief stepped forward. "NO! I'M NOT A REBEL! YOU CAN'T DO THIS!" and he then broke into a run down the road he had just come on in a cart. "HALT!" The captain roared.


	2. Chapter 2

"ARCHERS!" the captain barked. "YOU'RE NOT GONNA KILL ME!" Lokir yelled. Bowstrings went back to mouths and feathered ends of arrows touched cheeks, and then, with a scraping sound, a volley of arrows shot at Lokir. The nord from Rorikstead dropped dead, now little more than a life-size pincushion. The captain turned. "Anyone else feel like running?" She man with the list said "Wait. You there. Step forward." Maeldred stepped forward. The nord in light armour and who had the list looked t Maeldred. "Who are you?" He asked. "Maeldred of... he hesitated for a moment." "Maeldred of Helgen." "You picked a bad time to come home to Skyrim, kinsman." He then turned to the captain. "Captain. What should we do? He's not on the list." "Forget the list. He goes to the block." Maeldred's jaw dropped. "By your orders, captain." He turned back to Maeldred. "I'm sorry. At least you'll die here, in your homeland. Follow the captain, prisoner." Maeldred reluctantly obeyed. Soon, he found himself standing in a circle with the other prisoners, and Ulfric was standing separate from them all, in front of General Tullius. "Ulfric Stormcloak," he began. "Some here in Helgen call you a hero, but a hero doesn't use a power like the voice to murder his king and usurp his throne!" Ulfric grunted in reply. "You started this war," Tullius continued. "Plunged Skyrim into chaos! And now the empire is going to put you down, and restore the peace!" Suddenly, there was a roaring sound coming from the mountain. Everyone looked towards it. The nord who had the list and had apologized to Maeldred asked: "What was that?" General Tullius replied simply: "It's nothing. Carry on." "Yes, General Tullius!" The captain yelled. She then turned to a priestess. "Give them their last rites." She said to the priestess. She nodded to the captain. Then the priestess began. "As we commend your souls to Aetherius, Blessings of the eight divines upon y-" She was cut off by a stormcloak soldier. "For the love of Talos, shut up and let's get this over with!" "As you wish." The priestess said. The soldier bent his knees slightly, and when no hand pushed his back to make him fall to his knees, he yelled: "Come on! I haven't got all morning!" The captain stepped forward and drove her foot into his back. "My ancestors are smiling at me, Imperials? Can you say the same?" he asked as his neck was rested on the block. The headsman rose his axe as the words were said. Maeldred looked away. He heard a thudding, wet sound and a groan of pain from the stormcloak. A female soldier looked at this and yelled out: "YOU IMPERIAL BASTARDS!" "Justice!" Tullius roared. The captain then yelled: "DEATH TO THE STORMCLOAKS!" "As fearless in death as he was in life..." Ralof said. "Next, the nord in the rags!" the captain said. It took Maeldred a moment to realise she meant him. Suddenly, the roaring sound occurred again. Once more, everyone looked towards the sound. The nord who had the list said "There it is again. Did you hear that?" "I said, NEXT PRISONER." The captain yelled angrily. "To the block, prisoner. Nice and easy." The nord said. Maeldred stepped towards it, then felt a foot jam into his back and his neck went onto the block at an odd angle so he could see the executioner. Just before the executioner rose his axe, a black shape broke from cover behind the mountain, roaring. "WHAT IN OBLIVION IS THAT!?" Tullius yelled. "Sentries! What do you see!" the captain said. The axe went up, but just before the stroke fell, the shape landed on the tower behind the headsman, knocking him to the ground. Before that happened, one Imnperial yelled "It's in the clouds!" The executioner got back up and turned to the black beast just as the female stormcloak yelled: "DRAGON!" "FUS... RO DAH!" the dragon roared, and a blast of unseen energy burst from it's mouth, killing the headsman. It did the same again, and this time, a blue wave of energy could be seen. Maeldred in the confusion, rolled off the block, and smacked his head on the cobblestone. His vison went foggy for a second as Tullius and the captain barked orders. When everything came back into focus a few seconds later, Ralof yelled: "Hey! Kinsman, get up! The gods won't give us another chance!" Maeldred jumped up and ran to Ralof and then followed him into a tower attached to the keep. Several stormcloaks were there, and one was clutching a bleeding wound to her stomach. The woman who had called the Imperials bastards. Ulfric was in there, and his gag was off. "Jarl Ulfric, what was that thing? Could the legends be true?" Ralof asked to the reply of: "Legends don't burn down villages." The dragon roared outside. "We need to move, now! Up through the tower, let's go!" Ralof yelled. One soldier said, refering to the wounded woman, "We'll have to carry her." "This way, friend, let's go!" Ralof yelled to Maeldred. Maeldred followed, and saw a nord up the top trying to shift some rubble. "We just need to move some of this rub-" the soldier was cut off by the towers side bursting apart as the dragons head poked through. The man who had been clearing rubble fell down to the hard floor below, breaking his neck and dying. The dragon breathed fire, but luckily everyone had jumped back a few steps. It then pulled back in search of better prey in Helgen. "See the inn on the other side?" Ralof asked. "Jump through the roof and keep going! GO! WE'LL FOLLOW WHEN WE CAN!" MAeldred leaped through to the inn, hurting his foot as he landed, but not caring. He sprinted down the stairs and out of the inn. He heard the nord who had carried the list yelling to someone. "Don't look up, just focus on me! You can do it! Hamming, you need to get over here! NOW!" Hamming ran towards the soldier, who was crouching in cover with another nord who Maeldred recognized. "That's a boy, you're doing great!" Hamming's father, Torolf, was desperately running towards them when the dragon landed behind him and breathed flames onto the nord citizen. "TOROLF!" The soldier yelled. "Get up, papa! Get up!" Hamming yelled. "Gods, everyone get back!" he yelled. "Still alive, prisoner? Keep close to me if you want to stay that way. Gunner, take care of the boy. I have to find General Tullius and join the defense." "Gods guide you, Hadvar." Gunner said. Maeldred followed Hadvar. A black shadow suddenly swooped over them. "STAY CLOSE TO THE WALL!" Hadvar yelled to Maeldred. Maeldred backed up against the wall as the dragon landed on it, it's clawed wing right next to him. It breathed fire and then took off again. "QUICKLY! FOLLOW ME!" Maeldred liked Hadvar so far. So he obeyed without hesitation. The dragon continued to tear the village apart, while soldiers yelled out and many people screamed in pain. "HADVAR! INTO THE KEEP!" General Tullius yelled. Hadvar nodded and continued to lead Maeldred towards the keep until suddenly, Ralof crossed their paths, an axe in hand. "RALOF! YOU DAMNED TRAITOR! OUT OF MY WAY!" "We're escaping, Hadvar. You're not stopping us this time." "FINE! I HOPE THE DRAGON TAKES YOU ALL TO SOVNGARDE!" Ralof looked at Maeldred. "You, follow me! Into the keep!" "With me, prisoner. Let's go!" Hadvar yelled.

Maeldred had two choices, join Ralof, or join Hadvr. After a second or two of thinking, he turned to Hadvar. "Sorry, Hadvar, you're a nice guy, and I know the empire isn't so bad, but your guys just tried to cut my head off. When I had done nothing wrong. I'm going with the stormcloak." and off he went after Ralof. They dashed into the keep and Ralof slammed the door, locking it.


End file.
